CHAPTER 34: What the World Cannot Read
The infirmary was quiet.
Not peaceful. It was controlled. White light filled the room, cast from mana crystals embedded into the ceiling.
Curtains hung between the beds, barely moving, as if even the air understood this was not a place for noise.
Lucius lay still. Unconscious. His body had already been treated. External injuries were closed. Internal damage was repaired. His breathing was steady and deep.
But the healers did not leave.
One stood beside him, her hand hovering above his chest, releasing a thin stream of diagnostic mana. Her brows tightened. This does not feel right.
Another healer approached, folding his arms across his chest. What do you mean. His injuries are gone.
They are, she said slowly. Physically, he is stable. Completely.
Then what is the problem.
She hesitated. Then answered. His mana flow.
The second healer frowned and extended his own senses. For a moment, he felt nothing. Then. He felt it.
Lucius's mana did not circulate like a normal talent system awakener.
It wasn't structured.
It moved… freely.
Unrestricted.
Almost as if it ignored the framework entirely.
This is not Talent System flow, he said quietly.
The first healer nodded. Exactly.
In this world, most people awakened a Talent System at the age of eighteen.
From that moment on, their growth, their abilities, even their mana behavior followed a structured, predictable path. It was efficient. Stable. Controlled.
But this.
This feels like, the second healer muttered.
The Old System, she finished.
Silence fell between them. The Old System. A method of power that existed before Talents defined the world. Unstructured. Difficult. Almost lost. Only a few people still studied it.
Are you saying he does not have a Talent. The second healer asked.
No, she replied. He clearly does. We have seen him fight. Her eyes narrowed slightly. But his mana is not obeying it.
Outside the infirmary, the tension remained. Evelyn Moron stood near the entrance, her posture straight, her presence alone enough to keep the surrounding area silent.
Jax, Hans, and Seraphina stood nearby. They were exhausted. Not just physically, but mentally drained.
You will remain here tonight, Evelyn said. Her voice was calm, leaving no room for argument. You have pushed beyond safe limits. Your mental energy needs time to recover.
Jax exhaled slowly. Yeah. I can feel that.
Hans nodded immediately. My head still feels like it is splitting.
Seraphina said nothing. Her gaze stayed on the infirmary door. Evelyn noticed.
There are many things I want to ask, Evelyn continued. About the dungeon. About what happened inside. Her eyes moved across the three of them. Sharp. Observing. But that can wait.
She turned slightly. For now. Rest.
A full day passed. The Academy had not returned to normal. It could not. A forced Red Dungeon had appeared inside the arena. Students had been pulled in. And somehow, they came back. Alive. Rumors spread. Truth did not.
Inside the infirmary, Lucius opened his eyes. No sudden movement. No reaction. Just awareness. The ceiling came into focus.
White. Clean. His breathing remained steady as his senses expanded. The mana in the room. The faint presence of barriers. The quiet footsteps outside. Everything registered instantly. Clearly.
Lucius sat up slowly. The moment he did, a translucent blue interface appeared.
New Skill Acquired.
Skill. GAZE.
Type. Passive.
Description. Allows the user to perceive structural weaknesses in targets weaker than or equal to the user.
Lucius stared at the screen for a brief moment. Then it faded. He already understood it. No need to dwell.
The door opened. Jax walked in first. You are finally awake.
Hans followed, visibly relieved. I thought you would stay like that for another day.
Seraphina stepped in last, her eyes locking onto Lucius immediately. You are alright.
Lucius looked at them. And something changed.
Jax. His stance. There was a slight imbalance on his left side. Fatigue was still present. Hans. Mana instability. Mental exhaustion. Seraphina. Controlled posture. But there was tension in her shoulder.
Lucius's eyes narrowed slightly. Gaze.
He looked away. The information disappeared.
Evelyn entered. Silence followed her. She stopped in front of Lucius.
You are awake.
Yes.
She studied him carefully. Then spoke. The rankings have been finalized.
Lucius said nothing.
First place. Julian Garcia.
A pause.
Second place. Lucius van Venus.
Silence settled in the room. For a brief moment, something flickered in Lucius's eyes. It was not anger. It was not frustration. It was recognition.
He replayed the arena in his mind. The way Julian stood untouched. The way the dungeon appeared, and how Julian did not move. Then the thought formed. So you are still above me.
His fingers tightened slightly against the bedsheet. It was not out of emotion, but resolve. When he looked back at Evelyn, his expression was already calm again.
Understood.
No reaction. As expected.
Evelyn continued. You will not be participating in further combat evaluations. Her tone remained calm. The written test begins in two days.
Lucius nodded once.
Rest until then. She turned slightly, then stopped. There is something else.
Her gaze sharpened. What happened inside that dungeon.
Silence. She did not rush him.
From what I observed, she continued, you were the only one who lost consciousness. Her eyes flicked toward the others briefly. Hans shows signs of mental exhaustion. The others are physically strained, but stable.
Then she looked back at Lucius. I can deduce one thing.
A pause.
You were the main force behind clearing that dungeon.
Lucius met her gaze. No confirmation. No denial. Just silence. There was a very slight shift in his expression. It was not enough for most to notice, but Evelyn did. She held his gaze for a moment longer. Then she exhaled lightly.
Do not think about what to say now. Her tone relaxed slightly. After the written test, we will talk.
She turned and walked out, leaving no room for argument.
Silence returned. Jax let out a breath. She already figured it out.
Hans nodded nervously. Not everything. But enough.
Seraphina looked at Lucius. You did not deny it.
Lucius said nothing.
After a few minutes of having conversations among themselves..
They decided to leave Lucius alone.
"Take care of yourself, man," Jax said, giving a small wave as he turned toward the door. "We'll be back tomorrow."
Hans nodded quickly, looking over his shoulder. "Get some real sleep, Lucius. You look like you need it."
The two of them stepped out into the hallway, their voices already echoing back as they walked away. Jax's voice was the loudest. "We can't keep trailing behind like that, Hans. If we're going to survive the next one, we need to double our gravity training. I'm thinking of asking the instructors for the heavy-density chambers."
"I was thinking the same," Hans replied, his tone unusually determined. "I need to find a way to stabilize my mana output under pressure. If we don't increase our capacity now, we'll just be a liability."
Inside the room, Seraphina remained by the edge of the bed. She was hesitant, her hand hovering near the medical curtain as if she wanted to say something more. She lingered for a long moment, her eyes searching his face for any sign of the "missing" fragment he was feeling. Finally, she let out a quiet, frustrated breath and turned to follow the others.
"Don't fall too far behind, Lucius," she whispered softly before stepping out. "I'm still waiting for that rematch."
His thoughts moved quietly and sharp. Something was missing. He could feel it. A gap. A fragment of memory that no longer existed. The touch of the Inkveil Seraph. It took something. But what.
Lucius closed his eyes briefly. Then he opened them again. Calm. Focused.
Night settled outside. The world remained the same. But not really. Not anymore. Lucius leaned back slightly. Silent and Observing.
To Be Continued...